Synthesis Sunday: Identity Formation and Adolescents: Part 2

It is Sunday again in this part of the world, and that means sitting down and thinking a bit about research. Last week, I started synthesizing an article about identity formation and working with adolescents (the full citation is below) that came to me courtesy of Music Therapy Perspectives. I described my process. The task for today is to actually put all of the information that I saw into my reference sheet and finish it all up.

If you are interested in using my synthesis sheet, it is available on this link in my Teachers Pay Teachers store...It doesn't look really impressive on the thumbnail form, but it works for me. It might work for you!!

I left off in at the process of organizing my post-it note thoughts into different categories and then making the form a bit more final, so let's get to it!

I think I will start with the thoughts on the teal post-its. Here are the rough thoughts...

• the population was "teenagers who had mild and moderate developmental disabilities."- abstract p. 141
• theories of identity formation - Erikson; Marcia, & Colleagues; Crocetti, Rubini, & Meeus - abstract p. 141 
• Thoughts to center - developing the self; a sense of self; self-actualization; the music child; building musical identity - p. 143
• Takeaways - person-centered focus with goal of exploration; Therapist relationship is not dictatorial but more co-pilot; may be easier in individual sessions and interactions than in group treatment formats; exploration is essential for growth; therapist has to be less of a tour guide and more of an adventurer - not quite the metaphor that I am seeking...
• Questions for me to consider - short-term treatment (as in my model) with group treatment mandate - how does this transfer into my setting and service delivery model? Can it transfer?? How can I help clients do this? Can i do this at all? I have a constantly changing population and group treatment diminishes the opportunity for close therapeutic relationships. Would content centers work within this concept?
• This type of process includes a change in THERAPIST identity and focus - this change has to occur to provide clients with the services they need to evolve.

Now the purple post-its...

• "Autoethography is a form of self-inquiry that 'shows people in the process of figuring out what to do, how to live, and the meaning of their struggles' (Adams, Jones, and Ellis, 2015, p. 2)." - p.141
• Self-inquiry was guided in the research process by the questions of the researcher - p. 141
• All sessions were videotaped and then reviewed in supervision. Researcher immersed self in literature and engaged in critical self-evaluation as part of the process - p. 141
• "Clinical Reflexivity" - needs further definition
• Identity formation for clients - relation of self to peers; meaning and identity; exploring and developing interpersonal and intrapersonal skills in relation to peers, families, and communities - p. 143
• "Sense of self, or one's identity, has been explored in a range of ways..." - p. 143 - identity construction/formation
• "the iterative process of forming a coherent, integrated, and stable self..." - p. 143
• Robbins and Robbins - "concept of the music child are four loves: love of self, love of work, love of service, and love of God/truth/life." - p. 144
• Schwartz (2008) - "children in the Awareness stage 'begin to sense their internal self, such as thoughts and feelings' (2008, p. 49) on which they build Trust that 'encompasses the meaning of self' (p. 58-60)." - p. 144
• Core Concepts - " 'who you are, the way you think about yourself, the way you are viewed by the world, and the characteristics that defing you' (dictionary.cambridge.org)." - p. 145
• Three factors to consider - identity dimensions; identity domains; identity cycles - p, 145

Halfway finished - this process is a good one for me because it reiterates what I have read. I can see the notes that I have taken, and then I have the chance to go back into the article to clarify thoughts that seemed important to me before but that I don't have much context for now.

Time to go into the orange post-its...

• "focus on developmental goals no longer appeared as relevant or aligned with my clients' needs" - p. 141
• "skills based work no longer appeared appropriate" - p. 141
• Client 1 - seeking enjoyment through leisure skills; Client 2 - search for life meaning; Client 3 - finding joy and happiness and self-discovery - p. 142-143
• "Identities in Music and Music in Identities" - Lawendowski and Bieleninik (2017); MacDonald, Hargreaves, and Miell (2002) - p. 144
• IIM = Identities in Music - socially defined and culturally bound - social influences; MII = Music in Identities - p. 144 - use of music in developing other aspects of personal identity.
• "IMM encompasses all recognizable social and cultural musical roles..." (Lawendowski and Bieleninik, 2017, p. 87)."
• "MII...focuses on how we use music as a means of 'developing other aspects of our personal identities' (MacDonald et al., 2002, p. 15)."
• "...performing our sense of ourselves, our identity through music listening, performing, and discussion (Ruud, 1997, p. 3)." - p. 145
• identity dimensions, commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment (Crocetti, 2017 p. 146). - p. 145
• identity domains - "identity-relevant area[s]" - interpersonal and ideological - developed personal chart that needs to be transferred next time around - p. 145-146
• p. 146 - identity information clarification
• Shifts in how therapist interacted - physical proximity changes; attitudinal changes; focus on psychosocial aspects through music - p. 148

On the home stretch now...the CBMT post-its for additional sources to read directly...

• Nordoff-Robbins; Robbins and Robbins
• Schwartz 2008
• Carpente 2001
• Erikson, 1950
• Marcia, 1993
• Crocetti, Rubinin, and Meeus, 2008
• Crocetti, 2017

For me, the most important part of this entire process is coming up with the takeaways for my particular piece of the music therapy world. I can spend time thinking about how this information fits into my clinical practice, because, at the end of all of this, that's what is most important to me - how this research affects me as a therapist in my role for my clients.

Happy Sunday. This is a wrap for this article, so look out for next week's new article! Any suggestions??




Echard, A. (2019) Making sense of self: An autoethnographic study of identity formation for adolescents in music therapy. Music Therapy Perspectives, 37(1), 141-150.